They don't seem to want to spend any of their own money. Despite voting for tougher ethics laws last year, some of them are trying to get out from under restrictions that were meant to curb their ability to take freebies.

Two bills pending in the Senate would loosen the rules on wining and dining by lobbyists. Clearly, the cheapskates in the Legislature are chafing under the rule that only allows lobbyists to spend $50 per meal on a lawmaker.

House Bill 591 by Rep. Noble Ellington of Winnsboro would let lobbyists exceed the $50 limit if they take lawmakers out for a high-priced outing while they're all away at a conference. And Senate Bill 265 by Sen. Bob Kostelka of Monroe would broaden the definition of "program honoree" and "speech" in the exception that allows lawmakers free admission to charity, nonprofit and political events.

The Ethics Board is rightly dismayed by both bills and is opposing them. Lawmakers basically are trying an end-around.

Ethics Board members had said the new ethics laws only allowed the $50 cap to be exceeded for an event that is part of the program at a conference -- not for a private meal during the trip. The board also advised recently that an event would have to honor a specific individual for that person to be a "program honoree," and the honoree would have to give a formal speech.

That is too onerous for some legislators, though.

They're worse than Scrooge McDuck. He was trying to be thrifty, not living off the cartoon duck lobby.